I'd like to see some Fifties customs with a French rake. I'm sure that there are already some pics posted on the HAMB, but all I can find are tail draggers. Would somebody either post pics or direct me to all ready posted pics?
i never head of a french rake....round these here parts we either call it tug boating (tail draggin) or stink buggin (parently the french rake). maybe we can combine these terms and call the french rake the stinky french. just kiddin jacques....its traditional to make fun of the french.
Ah yes, the French. Apparnetly their national anthem deals a lot with fighting and old war victories. I guess just because they can't fight, doesn't mean they don't want to.........
If Chili-Phil said it, you know it must be a cool guy thing. Would explain why I've never heard of it.
been putzing with modified cars since 1958...read all the magazines..big and little...even MAD on a regular basis. I ain't never heerd of no 'french rake' unless it's some guy from Paris with a small moustache, slicked back hair and a wink that'll send the matrons into a tailspin.... If it's lowered in the rear - it's called a taildragger...shackle job...this is only done to customs (Kustoms for those of you that are purported to be "in with the in crowd"). If it's dumped in front - it's raked....dagoed (from the early Dago dropped axles) this is only done to hot rods. If it's on an even keel and has lake pipes - it's a custom...if it's on an even keel and has any other of the generally-accepted attributes of a 'custom', then it's a custom.... Maybe a french rake is one of those yard tools that's kind of springy?? dj
Maybe it should be called a "Freedom Rake"? "French rake" is a California (L.A., at least) term from the 1950's. No matter what it's called, I'd like to see some customs dumped in the front.
Monkee on the HAMB has a '53 Ford that has an awesome stance to it. It's not finished but sure looks nice so far!
There was a term that came into favor for a short while, it described a car with a pretty good drop in front and a not so far down drop in the back. This style was called French Rake. Seemed like the term came in and stayed for only a couple of years. The cars that ran it were good looking Shoeboxes, 49-54 Chevys and the like and the slight Dago effect with the overall lowness of the car made it in our eyes sometimes called 'california rake' too The California rake, which has a jacked up rear instead of a lowered one, outlandishly wide tires instead of tires that seem much too small for the car, and a souped up motor instead of one that has been filely ignored." The "East L.A. rake" was part of a new style that was developing. From what i can see it applied mostly to lowriders.
Ditto what Propwash said, that is one term I have never heard in the past 50 years of reading rod mags and being around rods and customs. Lower in front than the back was alway known as dago'ed as far back as I can remember. Or just "raked".
we here in Indiana call it the Texas Tilt. You mstly find it on 2wd chevy pick ups with air shocks in the back. It is a sad practice. On the other hand, if the stance you are looking for is pictured in the bare metal custom above I would say that it should be named "Exrta Kick-Ass Rake". That car makes me pee a little everytime I see it on here.
You guys that don't know custom car terminology are killing me. Do a search on the HAMB using the term "French rake" in quotes. The term has been used in quite a few threads over the past five years. By the way, I know for a fact that at least ONE renowned old-time customizer in California is still using the term. I heard him use it in an interview on TV just last week, recorded at the last Grand National Roadster Show. Basically, he said the caucasions were building customs with French rakes in LA in the Fifties, and the hispanics were building taildraggers. I think that I recorded it. If so, I'll post his exact quote sometime over the weekend.
Just because it has surfaced in the last 5 years don't make it common 50 years ago. And if your certain "customizer" is who I think, he HAS been known to stretch the truth and make shit up Odds are that Chili remembers the term but that it did not gain widespread use or acceptance. Hell, the term "FRENCH kissing" was enough to make folks blush, probably had something to do with the lack of use. Did your search. Even C9 stated it was a localized term http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10782&highlight=french+rake&showall=1
The French, like the Russians, claim to have invented everything from Hot dogs to aviation to nucleur fission and fusion to pancakes and cars, and now they are claiming "raked" as their own. They should be proud of their history of quick surrender and immediate begging for the USA to save their butts.
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